Support for top rolls carrying arm of a drafting assembly of a spinning machine



F A R D Hm om m9 W m G1 nGN Nms,

mnml

CC r

ssmm.

Know Run Hfmn! OE JW WA F T R 0 P D..

EIIIH."

/NVFNTO l United States Patent O SUPPORT FOR TOP ROLLS CARRYING ARM OF AlRAFI'ING ASSEMBLY OF A SPINNING MA- Kurt Schrotz, Hirschhom (Neckar),Germany, assignor to SKF Kugellagerfabriken G.m.b.H., Schweinfurt,Germany Filed Apr. 13, 1959, Ser. No. 806,033

Clams priority, 'application Germany Apr. 11, 1958 8 Claims. (Cl.19-134) The present invention relates to textile machines.

More particularly, the present invention relates to structure located atthe drafting section of a spinning machine. In particular, the structureof the invention relates to a support for the top rolls carrying arm ofa drafting assembly.

One of the objects of the present invention is to provide a support ofthe above type which is composed of a rela- -tively small number ofinexpensive elements which can easily be assembled so as to provide atop rolls carrying arm support which will reliably grip a stationarysupport bar.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a support of theabove type Which can be easily placed into or out of grip relation Withrespect to the support bar so that the position of the support on thesupport bar can be quickly and easily adjusted.

It is also an object of the present invention to provide a support ofthe above type which will have very little, if any, projecting portionson which fibers can collect.

A further object of the present invention to provide a support of theabove type Which will not in any way interfere with the travel ofrovings into the drafting field.

With the above objects in view, the present invention includes in asupport for a top rolls carrying arm of a drafting assembly of aspinning machine, at least one springy plate formed with an openingpassing therethrough and with a slit extending from said opening to anouter edge of the springy plate, this plate having a pair of surfacesrespectively located on opposite sides of and directed away from theslit thereof. A pair of pressure members engage the latter surfaces,respectively, and a pulling means cooperates with the pressure membersto pull the latter toward each other to tend to close the slit so as tocause the plate to grip a support har passing through the opening of theplate.

The novel features which are considered as characteristic for theinvention are set forthin particular in the appended claims. Theinvention itself, however, both as to its construction and its method ofoperation, together with additional objects and advantages thereof, Will'be best understood from the following description of specificembodiments lWhen read in connection with the accompanying drawings, inwhich Fig. 1 is a side elevational view of a support according to thepresent invention;

Fig. 2 lis a side elevational view of another embodiment of a supportaccording to the present invention; and

Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view taken along the line lll-III ofFig. 1 in the direction of the arrows.

Referring now to the drawings, there is shown therein a stationarysupport bar 1 of the drafting section of a spinning machine, thishorizontal stationary support bar 1 being conventional and Well known.Distributed along the support bar 1 are a plurality of supports for thetop rolls carrying arms of a row of drafting assemblies, and one ofthese supports 2 is shown in the drawings. The

2984,'873' Patented May 23, 1961 fice structure of the support 2 for thetop rolls carrying arm of each drafting assembly forms the subjectmatter of the present nvention.

In accordance with the present invention, each of the top rolls carryingarm supports 2 which are distributed at predetermined distances fromeach other along the support bar 1 includes, as shown in the drawings, apair of springy side plates 2' Which are identical With each other andwhich are respectively located in parallel planes normal to the axis ofthe support bar 1. A plurality of spacer pins 3 extend between and arefixed 'to the pair of springy plates 2' so as to maintain the latterparallel to each other at a predetermined distance from each other. Forexample, each spacer pin 3 may have opposed reduced end portionsextending into openings of the plates 2' and these reduced ends of eachpin 3 may have a press fit in the openings of the plates 2', or, ifdesired, the extremities of each pin 3 may be upset so as to form arivet interconnecting the plates 2'.

It will be noted from Fgs. 1 -and 2 that a pair of the spacer pins 3 arelocated at an elevation higher than the support bar 1, and the latterpair of pins 3 serve simultancously as pivots for the top rolls carryingand loading arm 4 and -a lever 5 used to actuate an unillustrated lockmechanism which retans the arm 4 either in the illustrated Operatingposition over the drawing plane or in an inoperative position turnedupwardly away from the drawing plane, as is Well known. 'Ihis lockstructure forms no part of the present invention and the elements 4 and5 also do not form part of the present invention and are, therefore,illustrated only in dot-dash lines.

Each of the identical springy plates 2' of the support 2 is formed notonly With a Circular opening through which bar 1 passes, but also With aslit 6 which extends from the latter opening to the outer right edge ofeach plate 2', as viewed in Figs. 1 and 2. Thus, when a force applied tothe plates 2' tend to close the slits 6 thereof the plate 2' willtightly grip the bar 1 to remain fixed thereon.

Each of the plates 2' is also formed with a pair of pressure surfacesrespectively located on opposite sides of and directed away from theslit 6. Thus, it will he seen that each of the plates 2' is formed witha rectangular opening 11 the bottom surface of Which is nearest to theslit 6 while being directed away from the latter, and this bottomsurface forms one of these pressure surfaces. The other pressure surfaceof each plate 2' is formed by the convex edge portion 10 of each plate2' in the embodiment of Figs. 1 and 3. In the embodiment of Fig. 2, theplates 2' are each formed With an additional opening 11' having apressure surface nearest to but directed away from the slit 6, and inthis embodiment, this pressure surface also is convexly curved asindicated in Fig. 2.

The plates 2' are positioned with all of their openings and slits andedges aligned with each other. A pressure or bridging member 8 extendsacross the space between the plates 2' into the openings 11 thereof andengages the pressure surface which is nearest to the slit 6, this member8 taking the form of a nut whose threaded bore is located between theplates 2', as indicated in Fig. 3, and it will be noted that the lengthof the nut 8 in a direction normal to the plates 2' is not greater thanthe distance between the outer side surfaces of the plates 2' so thatthe nut 8 does not project beyond these outer side surfaces.

A second pressure or bridging member 9 extends across the space between-the plates 2' and engages the second pair of pressure surfaces 10 inthe embodiment of Fi-gs. 1 and 3, this bridging or pressure member 9being annular so as to have an opening through Which a bolt 7 extendsinto threaded engagement with the nut 8. This bolt 7 forms an elongatedpulling means extending along the space between the plates 2' andcooperating with the members 8 and 9 for pulling the latter toward eachother so as to tend to close the slits 6 and thus cause the plates 2" togrip the bar 1. The bolt 7 has a head 7' engaging the bridge member 9,and this head 7' is formed with a non-Circular recess 13 adapted toreceive the end of a wrench used by the operator to tighten or loosenthe support 2 on the bar 1. Because the surfaces are convex, it ispossible for the bolt 7 to align itself properly during tightening ofthe bolt. Since the slits tend to become closed during this time, theopenings 11 may change their position slightly and the position of thesurfaces 10 may change slightly and the convex curvature of the surfaces10 permits the annular member 9 to slip as required on the surfaces 10during tightening of the bolt 7.

In the embodiment of Fig. 2, an annular pressure member 9' extends intothe openings 11' and the bolt 7 passes through the member 9' intothreaded engagement with the nut 8, the bolt 7 of Fig. 2 being shorterthan the bolt 7 of Figs. 1 and 3. Also, the head 7' of the bolt 7 ofFig. 2 has an outer diameter smaller than the space between the plates2' and, of course, the diameter of the shank of the bolt 7 of Fig. 2 issmaller than that of the shank of the bolt 7 of Figs. 1 and 3, or, i-fdesired, the pins 3 may be slightly longer in the embodment of Fig. '2than in the embodiment of Figs. 1-3.V It will be noted that the annularmembers 9 and 9' do not extend beyond 'the outer side surfaces of theplates 2', although the right and left end surfaces of the members 18and 9 of Fig. 3 may be fiush with these outer side surfaces, if desired,and the same, of course, is true of the member 9' of Pig. 2. The nut 8is of rectangular cross section and cannot turn in the openings 11, andthe annular members 9 may have an outer periphery which is eithercircular or rectangular or any other desired polygonal configuration.

Since it is possible, in a simple way, to provide the pair of plates 2'with a pair of openings, respectively, to receive the bar 1, which areprecisely parallel and which, in fact, precisely form different portionsof a common cylinder when the support of the invention is assembled,this cylinder having an axis coincident with that of the bar 1, it ispossible :for the structure of the invention to have an extremely highclamping force on the bar 1 so that even when large forces act on theloading arm 4 to urge the latter and to top rolls therewith downwardlytoward the drafting plane, there will be no possibility of turning ofthe support 2 -of the invention on the bar 1.

It will be seen that, with the embodiment of Fig. 2, the entire pullingmeans 7 is located in the space between the plates 2', while in bothembodirnents, elements 8 and 9 do not project beyond the outer sidesurfaces of the plates 2' so that there are practically no projectingportions on which fibers can collect and there can be no interferencewith the entrance of the rovings into the drafting field. Itrwill benoted in this latter connection that in both embodiments, the length ofthe bolt 7 is such that it does not project upwardly beyond the plates2'. If desired, the support 2 of the invention can, as illustrated inFigs. 1 and 3, be located between a pair of side walls 12 of a suitablecovering structure which encloses the support of the invention, thiscovering structure being made of one or Vmore parts and being made ofsheet -metal, plastic, or the like, so that the support 2 of theinvention may be enclosed in this manner at its opposite sides. Ofcourse, with the cover structure 12 in position, there is left, asindicated at the lower part of Fig. 3, a free space through which awrench may pass into the recess 13 for turning the bolt 7.

It will be understood that each of the elements described above, or twoor -more together, may also find a useful application in other types ofsupports diifering -from the types described above.

While the invention has been illustrated and described as embodied intop rolls carryng arm supports, it is not intended to be limited to thedetails shown, since various modifications and structural changes may bemade without departing in any Way from the spirit of the presentinvention.

Without further analysis, the foregoing will so fully reveal the gist ofthe present invention that others can by applying current knowledgereadily adapt it for various applications without omitting featuresthat, from the standpoint of prior art, fairly constitute essentialcharacteristics of the generic or specific aspects of this inventionand, therefore, such adaptations should and are intended to becomprehended within the meaning and range of equivalence of thefollowing claims.

What is claimed as new and desired to be Secured by Letters patent is:

1. A support for a top rolls carrying arm of a drafting assembly of aspinning machine, comprising, in combination, a pair of identicalspringy plates located adjacent each other in parallel planes,respectively, each plate being formed with an opening passingtherethrough and with a slit extending from said opening to an outeredge of each plate and each plate having a pair of surfaces respectivelylocated on opposite sides .of and directed away from said slit, saidplates being arranged with said openings and slits respectively alignedwith each other and With the surfaces of one plate aligned with thesurfaces of the other plate; a plurality of spacer pins located betweenand fixed to said plates and maintaining them spaced from each other,said plates being connected to each other only by said pins; a firstbridging member extending across the'space between said plates andengaging one pair of the aligned surfaces of said plates; a secondbridging member extending across the space between said plates andengaging the other pair of aligned surfaces of said plates; and meanslocated at least in part in the space between said plates andcooperating with said bridging members for pulling the same toward eachother to tend -to close said slits so as to cause said plates to -grip asupport bar passing through the aligned openings of said plates.

2. A support for a top rolls carrying arm of a drafting assembly of aspinning machine, comprising in combination, a pair of identical springyplates located adjacent each other in parallel planes, respectively,each plate being formed with an opening passing therethrough and with aslit extending from said opening to an outer edge of each plate and eachplate having a pair of surfaces respectively located on opposite sidesof and directed away from said slit, said plates being arranged withsaid openings and slits respectively aligned with each other and withthe surfaces of one plate aligned with the surfaces of the other plate;a plurality of spacer pins located between and fixed to said plates forconnecting the latter to each Vother and for maintaining them spacedfrom each other;

a first bridging member extending across the space between said platesand engaging one pair of the aligned surfaces of said plates; a secondbridging member eX- tending across the space between said plates andengaging the other pair of aligned surfaces of said plates; and meanslocated entirely in the space between said plates and cooperating withsaid bridging members for pulling the same toward each other to tend toclose said slits so as to cause said plates .to [grip a support barpassing through the aligned openings thereof.

3. The combination of claim 1, wherein at least one pair of alignedsurfaces of said plates engaged by one of said bridging members areconvexly curved.

4. A support for the top rolls carryng arm of a drafting assembly of aspinning machine, comprising in combination, a pair of identical springyplates each formed with a first opening Vpassing therethrough and ywitha slit extending from said opening to an outer edge of each plate, each.plate also .being formed on one side of Said slit thereof With a secondopening passing therethrough and each plate having on the opposite sideof said slit a surface directed away from said slit, said plates beinglocated adjacent each other in a pair of parallel planes, respectively,with said first openings aligned with each other, said second openingsaligned with each other, said slits aligned with each other and sa-idsurfaces aligned with each other; a plnrality of spacer pins locatedbetween and fixed to said plates for connecting the latter to each otherand for maintaining them spaced from each other in said parallel planesrespectively; a nut eXtending across the space between said plates intosaid second openings thereof, said nut having a threaded bore locatedbetween said plates; an annular bridging member extending between saidplates and engaging said aligned surfaces on the side of said slitsopposite from said second openings; and a bolt extending through saidannular bridgng member along the space between said plates into threadedengagement with said nut, said bolt having a head engaging said annularbridging member, so that when a support bar passes through said firstopenings, said bolt may be turned to pull said nut and bridging membertoward each other to tend to close said slits to cause said plates togrip the support bar.

5. A support for a top rolls carrying arm of a drafting assembly of aspinning machine, comprising, in combination, a pair of identicalspringy plates each formed With a vfirst opening passing therethrough,with a slit extending from said first opening to an outer edge of eachplate, -with a second opening passing therethrough on one side of saidslit, and with a third opening passing therethrough on the other side ofsaid slit, said third opening having a convex edge at the part of saidthird opening nearest to said slit; a plurality of spacer pins locatedbetween and fixed to said plates for connecting the same to each otherand for mantaining them spaced from each other, said plates beingrespectively maintained by said pins in parallel planes, with theopenings and slit of one plate respectively aligned with the openingsand slit of the other plate; a nut extending across the space betweensaid plates into said second openings thereof and having a threaded borelocated between said plates; an annular bridging member extending acrossthe space between said plates into said third openings thereof; and abolt extending through said annular member along the space between saidplates into threaded engagement with said nut and having a head engagingsaid annular member for pulling the latter and said nut toward eachother to tend to close said slits vfor causing said plates to grip asupport bar passing through said first openings thereof, said bolt beinglocated in its entirety in the space between said plates.

6. The combination of claim 5, wherein said nut and annular member donot extend beyond the outer side surfaces of said plates.

7. The combination of claim 5, wherein the head of said bolt is formedwith a recs of non-Circular cross section to receive a wrench.

8. In a spinning machine, in combination, a stationary support bar; apair of identical springy plates respectively formed with alignedopenings through which said bar passes and adapted to form part of asupport for a top rolls carrying arm, each plate being formed with aslit extending from said opening thereof to an outer edge of each plateand each plate having a pair of surfaces respectively located onopposite sides of and directed away from said slit thereof, the slit andsurfaces of one plate being aligned with the slit and surfaces of Ktheother plate; a plurality of spacer pins located between and fixed tosaid plates maintaining the latter spaced from each other in parallelplanes, respectively, said plates being connected to each other only bysaid pins; a first bridging member extending across the space betweensaid plates and engaging one pair of aligned surfaces thereof; a secondbridging member extending across the space between said plates andengaging the other pair of aligned surfaces thereof; and elongatedpulling means extending along the space between said plates andcooperating with said bridging members for pulling the same toward eachother to tend to close said slits so that said plates grip said bar.

Kubler Dec. 23, 1958 Dausch Aug. 25, 1959

